KENMORE, N.Y. (WIVB) — Residents and business owners spoke out about a proposed change to an outdoor dining law at Tuesday night’s Kenmore Village Board meeting and said they have more questions than answers, but Mayor Patrick Mang said it was all a misunderstanding.
“It’s not just unnecessary, it’s a step in the wrong direction,” said Kenmore resident Alyssa Massey. “Kenmore deserves progress, not more paperwork.”
Outdoor dining in Kenmore has grown in recent years, but the village now plans to be more heavily involved in how businesses can offer it.
“We want to work with businesses to be more permissive, but also be respectful to the residents,” said village trustee Brittany Jones.
Under the law that passed unanimously on Tuesday, businesses will have to pay $100 to obtain a permit in order to have outdoor dining. They will also need to keep a five-foot clearance on sidewalks so pedestrians can still walk freely.
There are also guidelines including restrictions on spaces, music volume and what type of outdoor furniture is allowed, but Mang said this law and most of these restrictions have existed for over 20 years.
“The law has always been on the books,” Mang said. “All we did was tweak the law to allow more businesses to take advantage of it.”
Mang said the change to the law simply gives businesses the opportunity to request to use village property to expand or add outdoor dining. He blames the outrage from community members on a social media post published Tuesday morning.
“It’s really concerning because people come to these meetings and they’re misinformed,” Mang said. “It’s just alarming, you know?”
Residents still took to the podium, voicing concerns over parts of the law that already exist — the biggest one being a limitation to music.
“I live on the third floor with my patio facing Spot. I hear the music,” said Kenmore resident Amy Snyder. “That’s the reason I’m there, that’s the reason I chose where I live.”
Some business owners spoke out and said they felt blindsided by how the proposed changes were presented and asked for better communication from the board moving forward.
“I think we’ve been good,” said Chris DiCesare, the co-owner of Fatty Beer Co. “You guys have been good to us, but I think we all need to make sure we’re on the same page with this stuff.”
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Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
